


The Boy with the Skull Tattoo

by midnightkat



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Frank likes art, Frank's supposed to be a bit of an asshole, How Do I Tag, I Tried, M/M, Psychology class, Quentin and Laurie are best friends, Quentin doesn't sleep, Some of the dbd gang are a year or two ahead, slow burn?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-02 18:06:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19446805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightkat/pseuds/midnightkat
Summary: Quentin couldn't even go an hour before embarrassing himself in front of Frank, but does he regret it? Absolutely not.





	1. First day

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know the first thing about how college works in America and idk where I'm going with this fic so bear with me.

"Quentin!" called out Laurie, "Wait for me!"

Quentin turned to see Laurie running towards him with a huge pile of books in her hands and a wide grin on her face. It was their first day of college and the two best friends were lucky enough to be attending the same college and to be roommates.

"Hey, let me carry some of those for you". He grabbed some books from Laurie's grasp and put them into his bag. "I'm ready to die. College is gonna destroy me".

"You're right about that. But honestly, I don't even care right now. I'm excited!" exclaimed Laurie.

Quentin rolled his eyes. "I'm never gonna get any fucking sleep anymore."

"It's not like you get a lot of sleep to begin with, but forget about that for now. Let's go to our psychology class," Laurie said. "Also, David called and he said that he wants to meet up at ten in that café that we passed by earlier ". Quentin smiled at that.

When Quentin first met David, he was pretty scared of him because of his tough attitude but he quickly learned that David was just as soft as he was tough, and he had a pretty obvious crush on Laurie.

"He just wants to see you again. Go by yourself and tell him that something came up so I couldn't make it," said Quentin.

Laurie laughed and nudged him. "Shut up, Quentin".

They reached their first class with Mr. Carter. Quentin and Laurie, obviously, sat beside each other. Mr. Carter seemed kind and passionate about the subject, so Quentin knew that he'd enjoy his classes. He started off the class by telling them that he'd be going over the syllabus for the first day. Laurie listened attentively and took notes while Quentin lay his chin on the palm of his hand and listened. He could copy Laurie's notes later anyway.

He hadn't gotten any sleep last night, and only a few hours the night before. His ADHD pills combined with his insomnia made it almost impossible for him to sleep properly. The bags under his eyes proved it. As well as that, most of his morning classes started at eight or nine. It was going to be exhausting, but that's college.

He glanced over at Laurie who was still concentrating on the teacher and he yawned. _Fuck it, I'll just close my eyes for a bit._ He lay his head on the table hoping that the teacher wouldn't notice, and he closed his eyes.

Thirty minutes into the class, he heard the door open. He lifted his head towards the source of the sound and saw someone standing at the door. He wore a hooded leather jacket and he had his hands in his pockets. The hood covered his hair and most of his face. He was hunched over and it seemed that he wanted to be anywhere else but in that class. He barely spared a glance at the teacher before settling his eyes on Quentin.

 _Oh shit, he saw me staring._ Quentin looked away. _Don't come this way._

Much to Quentin's dismay, the hooded man headed towards his and Laurie's direction. He paused for a moment before sliding into the seat beside Quentin and took off his hood. Quentin couldn't help but stare at the man. His hair was short, almost a buzz cut, and he had dark, emotionless eyes. He had a scowl on his face and there was a small scar just above his lip. Looking closer, Quentin noticed a skull tattoo on his neck. Then, Quentin saw that his hands were almost completely clad in bandages. Strange. He was attractive without a doubt, but his appearance was intimidating.

A deep, hushed voice snapped him out of it. "What the fuck are you looking at?"

Shit.

"Oh, uh, sorry," said Quentin, shifting in his seat. He turned away from him and he felt his face growing red.

The man grunted. "Whatever."

Then he felt a tap on his shoulder and Laurie leaned in to whisper in his ear. "I know you get distracted easily, but don't get too distracted by the hot guy that decided to sit beside you." Quentin could hear the amusement in her voice and he sighed.

He tore a bit of paper from his notebook and wrote. He probably sat here because of you. I managed to look like a fucking weirdo by staring at him so why would he sit here for me. He not-so-subtly passed the note to Laurie who read it and laughed quietly.

"Look at you, passing notes like we're back in high school. I get it, he's hot and looks like a troublemaker. Everyone likes bad guys."

"Listen, Laurie," he whispered, "He looks like he would kill me without hesitation after what I did. I really don't think-"

"Excuse me."

Quentin snapped his head up and saw Mr. Carter looking at him. "Please keep your voices down."

"Sorry, Sir". Today is really not my lucky day.

Quentin began to wonder. _Why hasn't he moved from his seat yet? I swear I stared at him for a solid minute like a creep but he's still sitting there. Why'd he even sit beside me in the first place? There are so many empty seats and he chose to sit beside me. Just my luck._

The presence of the guy beside him made him feel a bit nervous. He noticed his leg bouncing and he began tapping his fingers on the table. He felt bad for judging someone based on their appearance but something about this guy seemed a bit off. Maybe it was the tattoo and scars, or his hands that were dressed in bandages.

For the rest of the class, he tried to keep himself distracted. He spent most of the time doodling in his notebook while listening to the teacher. His eyes wandered around the room at times, taking notice of small details like the broken clock on the wall and the abraded table with markings etched into it.

He sighed with relief when he realized that class was over. Laurie immediately went to the teacher to talk while he slowly put away his notebook and pencil case into his backpack. The moment class was dismissed, the guy beside him threw on his hood and left. Quentin was just slightly upset at that. He wanted to get his name, at least, but nobody had to know that.

What felt like thirty minutes later, Laurie came back to where Quentin was waiting. "So, did you get his number?" Laurie winked.

Quentin shook his head, looking at Laurie with disbelief. "Didn't even get his name".

Laurie feigned a surprised look, her eyes wide open and gasping loudly. "Not even his name? I'm disappointed."

"All I care about right now is getting decent grades. Getting someone's number comes second," said Quentin. He pointed at the crowded hallway and looked back at Laurie. "Let's go."

"You say that now. College is wild, you never know what might happen," said Laurie as they walked through the hallway. Quentin shrugged in response.

Some minutes later, they reached the café and he convinced Laurie to go by herself. "I'm going to eat somewhere else. Have fun on your date with David".

"It's not a date Quentin!" she exclaimed.

Quentin laughed. "Keep telling yourself that. And before I forget, here are your books." He took them out of his bag and placed them in Laurie's hands. "Bye". He turned in the other direction and walked away. He didn't really know where he was going to eat, but he guessed that he would find someplace eventually if he walked around for long enough.

....

The bell chimed as he walked through the door of _Pizza What_ and the delicious smell of pizza filled his nose. At the counter, he saw Dwight who smiled brightly and waved.

"Hey!" he said as Quentin approached the counter. "What can I get you?"

"Uh, just a small pepperoni pizza please. And some coke".

"Sure thing. Don't you think it's a bit early for pizza though? Why not get a coffee or something?"

"If it's too early for pizza then why are you open?" said Quentin. "Just kidding. Didn't feel like having coffee."

"Alright then. That's twelve dollars please". He smiled.

Quentin handed him the money and took a seat beside the window. Taking out his phone, he texted Laurie and asked her to send him her notes. The pizza arrived quickly, probably because the place was pretty much empty. As he ate his pizza he kept thinking about the interaction he had this morning, completely lost in his thoughts.

Glancing at his phone, his heart almost jumped out of his chest when he remembered that his next class started in ten minutes. _Shit, I can't be late._ He abandoned his food and nearly sprinted out of the restaurant.

...

The tall building loomed above him. If he was right, his English Literature class should be here. A sign he passed on the way showed that Art and English was in this building. He looked at his phone again and sucked in a panicked breath when he saw that he had a minute before his class started.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, he ran into the building and flew up the stairs. Too focused on getting to class, he didn't notice someone standing at the top of the stairs and he crashed right into them.

Quentin jumped back in surprise and almost fell back down the stairs, but a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back up. _Oh my God, I'm such an idiot. How did I not see them?_ He rubbed his nose in pain and took time to look at the person that he had just carelessly ran into. A leather jacket, bandage-covered hands. Dread filled his stomach when he realized it was the same guy from this morning.

"What the hell?! Watch where you're fucking going."

Quentin froze in his spot, his jaw slightly open as he tried to muster up an apology.

"Oh my God. I-I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention". He faced the man. "Are you okay?" he managed to say.

The scowl deepened on the man's face and there was a long pause before he spoke again. "I'm fine. Just use your eyes next time." He turned on his feet and walked towards the art room, not bothering to stay and hear anymore of what Quentin had to say.

Quentin ran his hands through his messy tangle of hair and sighed, his face hot from embarrassment. _Wait until Laurie hears about this._

Relief washed over him when he reached the door of his class. The professor wasn't there, but he felt all eyes on him as he barged through the door. He must've been a sight- red face and lungs practically dying. With his textbook held tight to his chest, he slumped into the nearest seat and waited for the teacher to arrive.


	2. The assignment

Two hours after his English class, Quentin trudged into the library, a cup of cold coffee in his hands and his heavy bag straining his shoulders. There were lots of students already there, some with their heads in a book and others on their phones. He passed by the dust-covered shelves and and saw Laurie, Meg and Feng Min whispering to each other while their textbooks lay abandoned on the table. He threw his bag down onto the table and dropped into the chair.

  
"Yo, Quentin! You finally decided to join us!" came a loud voice from Meg. Beside her, Feng Min put a finger to her lips and Meg rolled her eyes. The red-haired girl didn't know when to be quiet, not even in a damn library. How she hadn't been kicked out yet, Quentin didn't know.

  
"How was class?" asked Laurie, "The first day hasn't been so bad yet, right?"

  
_Oh, you don't know the half of it._

  
Quentin took a deep breath and laughed quietly. "Funny story, actually. Remember the guy from this morning?"

  
Meg's voice cut in. "She told us about him! I can't believe-"

  
Feng Min hit her arm with her textbook causing Meg to gasp and stop mid-sentence. She glared at the offending book and then at Feng Min who smiled unapologetically and told her to be quiet and listen.

  
"..Right. So, I was literally running to class and being the idiot that I am, I ran straight into the guy at the top of the stairs. He grabbed my arm before I could fall but he was so fucking mad and he left straight after that. I felt so bad and it's embarrassing and he definitely hates me now," he rambled.

  
There was a short pause, with Meg trying to suppress her giggling before bursting into loud laughter and Feng Min soon followed, laughing behind her hand. That earned them glares from almost every student around them, but the two didn't seem to notice. Quentin and Laurie looked at each other with their eyebrows raised and smiled to the other students nearby as if to apologize.

  
Meg and Feng Min's laughter soon stopped, the library returning to its quiet atmosphere with only the sound of paper being rustled and hushed whispers drifting through the air. Quentin pushed his bag aside and crossed his arms on the table. "So, that was my day," he concluded.

  
"Dude, I can't believe you fucking ran into him!" Meg said, grinning. "At least he didn't let you fall, that's something." Feng Min nodded in agreement.

  
Laurie went on to talk about her date with David, laughing at how he managed to spill coffee all over himself and the way his face turned bright red when she tried to help dry his clothes. What they had between them was cute, and it made Quentin a little jealous. He liked a girl, Nancy, back in high school and they kissed once, but that was it. It never went any further than that. When their final year of school ended, they occasionally still sent texts to each other, but after two months, they stopped talking completely. Quentin gave up after that.

  
That's how they spent the next hour, talking about nothing in particular while they flicked through books and notes. It was a nice break from their busy day.

  
It was nearing five o'clock, so eventually the four of them left the library, agreeing to meet up at the dining hall the next day. Quentin and Laurie decided to find somewhere to eat outside campus before heading to their dorm.

  
****

  
They returned to their dorm at six. Quentin kicked off his shoes and dropped his bag onto the floor, jumping onto his bed and breathing out a sigh of relief. Exhaustion had really gotten to him and it was so nice to finally be able to relax. He had no other plans than to try get some rest.

  
He lay there with his eyes closed, listening to Laurie shuffle around their dorm with soft music playing in the background. He would love to fall asleep to this if it weren't for his insomnia, and the bright sunlight outside made it even harder to try. He also had to remember to take his medication later, even though Laurie had promised to remind him about that.

  
It was almost eight when he decided to get up and go to the bathroom, the lack of sleep making him restless. He gripped the sides of the sink and stared at himself in the mirror, frowning at what he saw. His unruly hair was standing up in all directions and the bags under his eyes were dark and heavy. His wrinkled clothes were bunched up against his body. He looked awful.

  
He opened the cabinet and took out the bottle of medication. He took two pills and left the bathroom, grabbing a glass of water and swallowing them down. Laurie had left the dorm an hour ago, probably gone to see a friend of hers. He changed out of his clothes and into something more comfortable and warm. He knew that he should organize his stuff for the next day, but he really wasn't bothered. Instead, he mindlessly scrolled through his phone and only stopped when Laurie came back.

  
"It's almost ten, you should get your stuff ready and try get some rest. Class starts at eight tomorrow," Laurie said quietly.

  
"Yeah, I know."

  
Eleven o'clock was when he finally got into bed. He had no doubt that Laurie would be asleep in minutes, but he knew that it would take him a few hours before he could get some sleep too.

  
Long minutes turned into even longer hours. The darkness taunted him, reminding him of the real reason that he never slept. A childhood filled with nightmares made him too afraid to sleep, and that fear followed him to this day. Now that he was older, those nightmares were rare, but they were still unpredictable. The solution to avoiding those nightmares was avoiding sleep, but that only brought more problems.

  
At some point during the night, he finally managed to fall asleep.

  
****

  
Quentin groaned when he felt the blankets being pulled off of his body. A quick glance at the clock told him it was seven o'clock, meaning he had a little less than an hour to get ready.

  
"Get up Quentin, I made us some coffee!" Laurie's cheerful voice rang out. She placed the cup on his bedside table and ruffled his hair.

  
"Thanks mom," he mumbled, taking a sip of the coffee.

  
Laurie's smile grew wide and she gave him a pat on the shoulder. "No problem, kid."

  
He rolled his eyes as she left them room, yawning and forcing himself to get up.

  
Quentin tugged a shirt over his head and combed his messy hair. He put on his beanie, not wanting to wash his hair this early in the morning but not wanting to look like a complete mess either. He downed his coffee and checked his phone, surprised to see a message from Meg.

  
_Heyo, let's meet up at the cafeteria. Feng's still asleep cuz her class doesn't start until 10, that lucky bitch, but bring Laurie._

  
"Laurie!" he shouted, "Meg wants to meet up at the dining hall. You coming?"

  
"Sure, give me five minutes!" was the response.

  
He sat on the edge of his bed, swinging his legs absently as he waited. He had opened the curtains above the window, letting the golden sunlight fill the room. He felt a bit more awake than the day before, thanks to the coffee and the few hours of sleep he had gotten.

  
He saw Laurie putting on her shoes and he followed her, grabbing his bag and slinging it onto his shoulders. Laurie closed the door with a secure click and he shuffled after her. The campus was quiet, with many students still sleeping. Those that were unfortunate enough to have an early class were ambling around campus, most of them heading towards the direction of the dining hall.

  
Meg waved her hands wildly as they approached her, and he noticed an unfamiliar face sitting at the table. The new person's expression didn't change in the slightest when he saw the two sit down, and Quentin wondered if he had any sort of emotions at all.

  
"Guys, this is Jake. I met him.. ten minutes ago," Meg said.

  
Laurie shot Jake a smile. "Nice to meet ya Jake, I'm Laurie and this is Quentin." She pointed to him.

  
Jake nodded his head in acknowledgment and returned to drinking his coffee.

  
After a long quiet pause, Laurie tried again. "You don't talk a lot, do you?"

  
"Not really," came the quiet and surprisingly soft reply, "But does she always talk this much?" undoubtedly referring to the athlete that sat across from him.

  
"All the time! She never shuts up," replied Laurie with a laugh, while Quentin simply nodded beside her.

  
Meg and Laurie talked amongst themselves while Jake and Quentin sat quietly and listened. He was fine with that, he didn't have the energy to talk this early in the morning. He never understood how they were always so energetic at this time. Sure, he was usually awake by dawn but that never made it any easier for him to get up.

  
A tap on his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts. "I think we should head to class now," said Laurie.

  
He let out a deep sigh, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to make himself more alert before standing up and waving goodbye to Meg and Jake.

  
****

  
Quentin was slumped in his seat, blinking his eyes groggily as he tried to keep them open, when he heard someone setting a pile of books beside him. At the corner of his eyes he saw a familiar leather jacket and confusion filled his mind.

  
_What? He still wants to sit here? Surely he would want to sit literally anywhere else._

  
Despite the interactions he had with him the day before, Quentin was secretly glad that the guy wanted to still sit next to him. This time, he paid no attention to Quentin. He let his hood sit atop of his head, and his hands were hidden away in the pockets of his hoodie.

  
Quentin was suddenly startled by the loud sound of the door being shut. He watched as the professor opened up his laptop and adjusted the glasses on his face before clearing his throat.  
"Good morning everyone," his loud voice rang out across the quiet room, "Today we're going to begin the first module of the semester, which covers Developmental Psychology and Social Psychology. I always start the first year with an assignment. " There were some collective grumbles at that.

  
"You must work with another person on this assignment. Teamwork is important in psychology, and it's also a good way to get to know your peers. I suggest you do not work with someone you already know."

  
He shuffled some papers around and continued. "There will be a list of six different experiments relating to developmental and social psychology. Each group will be given a number which corresponds to a certain experiment. You and your partner must analyze the experiment, summarize it, and design a similar experiment of your own. You will begin next week. I will allow one class per week to work on this assignment, but otherwise you and your partner must work on it outside of class."

  
Quentin was relieved to hear that. He didn't doubt for one second that he and Laurie would work together. They could get it done in no time, seeing as they were roommates. This was going to be easy.

  
"I don't expect these to be anywhere near perfect, considering the majority of you are completely new to the subject, but I think that this is a good way to introduce yourself to psychology and the way we learn things. I will give out more notes on this in a while, but for now, please find yourself a partner."

  
The class broke out into loud chatter as people searched for somebody to work with. As he finished scribbling down his notes, Quentin turned to Laurie's seat, already assuming that she also wanted to work with him...

  
...and her seat was empty.

  
Fuck.

  
Quentin darted his eyes around the room and he spotted her at the back of the class, talking to someone who seemed more than happy to work with her. He sighed.

  
This was _not_ going to be easy.

  
Quentin began fidgeting in his seat, tapping his pen on the table. If he couldn't work with Laurie, who could he work with? He was a shy person, that was pretty obvious. Ever since middle school, it was hard for him to make friends. Group projects were a nightmare in high school, and he never made an effort to talk to someone unless they talked to him first.

  
Then Laurie moved to his school and suddenly he had a best friend. He wasn't shy around her at all, and she never judged him for things that other people would. She helped him open up more, and that way, he made even more friends; Meg, Feng Min, Dwight, Nancy.

  
But now that he was by himself, he felt the familiar worry and anxiety he experienced when he had to find a group to work with in those dreaded group projects.

  
Then then realization hit Quentin; the guy beside him still hadn't moved from his seat.

  
_Should I ask him?_

  
Quentin bit his lip, pondering over his options. His hands were clasped on the table and he fiddled with his fingers, before taking a deep breath and turning to face the hooded man.

  
"Hey, uh, I was wondering if you wanted to work with me?" His voice barely above a whisper. "I mean, you don't have to, but since we're both sitting here and-"

  
The guy suddenly glanced up at him and Quentin froze.

  
His eyebrows were furrowed together in what seemed to be confusion or surprise, but otherwise his expression was unreadable. Quentin shot him an awkward smile and he felt the tips of his ears turning red under his beanie. Was this a bad idea?

  
After what felt like a minute, the man's deep voice broke the silence between them. "Fine."

  
Relief washed over Quentin and he felt the corners of his mouth turning up as he smiled to himself, satisfied with the one-word response. He glanced down at his notes and then back up at the person beside him. "My name's Quentin, by the way."

  
There was a pause, and he swore he saw the brief flash of a smile on the man's face.

  
"I'm Frank."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure that most people don't get an assignment on their second day of college on a subject they most likely don't know anything about but it's for the plot.


	3. Rain

"How should we do this?"

Frank looked up at Quentin and frowned. "What?"

"I mean, we have to work on this outside of class, so we should agree to meet somewhere."

"Fuck that. I'm busy"

Their teacher had given them their topic and some notes, and now Quentin was trying to arrange a place for the two to meet up. It proved to be very difficult, with Frank claiming that he was too busy and Quentin being too shy to confront him.

Quentin had hoped that, maybe, Frank would've been a little nicer towards Quentin, but he set his expectations way too high. Frank refused to look at Quentin when he spoke, and he never seemed to listen to him either. When Frank did speak to him, it wasn't without annoyance. His scowl never disappeared.

Quentin was annoyed. Maybe it was a bit selfish of him, but he really wanted to work with Laurie. There would've been no trouble finding time to work, and it wouldn't be awkward. But deciding to work with Frank brought lots of problems. He was dismissive and clearly uninterested.

"Um, I could give you my number then?"

There was no response from Frank, and Quentin sighed. He turned to look at Laurie again who was laughing with her partner, and a frown formed on his face.

Frank didn't try to talk to him, instead drawing on his notes while Quentin looked over their topic. He could go to the library and do some research there later on. He only had a two-hour class at three, so he had plenty of time to start the assignment.

The rest of the class was uneventful- the professor taught them and the students took notes. Quentin spent most of the class thinking about the assignment and brainstorming ideas in his notebook. It seemed that he would probably be doing most of the work.

He saw the teacher closing his laptop and dismissing the class, so he began packing his stuff and stood up to leave when Frank's fingers brushed his hand. He lifted his head and looked at Frank, feeling the tips of his ears growing red as he placed a torn piece of paper in his hand.

"What-"

A number was written on the paper.

"Oh," Quentin quickly crumpled it up and stuffed it into his pocket, "T-thanks."

"Don't be surprised if I don't text you."

Quentin let out a small awkward laugh as Frank got up from his seat and hauled his bag onto his shoulder. He zipped up his jacket and adjusted his hood so that it was covering most of his head and face, like it was the first time Quentin saw him. He paused for a moment and Quentin saw his eyes on him for a short moment, before he turned away from him and began walking down the steps.

"See you later?" said Quentin, but it was more of a question than a statement. If Frank heard him, he didn't respond, but what was Quentin expecting anyway.

He put his notes into a folder and threw his notebook and pencil-case into his bag. He heard quiet footsteps and Laurie appeared beside him, her bag ready and a wide grin on her face.

"I was worried for a second there that you wouldn't find a partner, but it seems that you sorted that out," she said. "What's it like working with him? I can't imagine it's easy; he scares me and I haven't even talked to him."

"I don't know how we're gonna do this assignment. I don't think he cares about it at all," Quentin replied. "He gave me his number though."

"You got his number? That was quick," she winked.

"Yeah, for our _assignment_."

Laurie hit his shoulder. "Right right, _he_ gave _you_ his number, not the opposite way around. I bet he's into you, especially since he doesn't care about this assignment. You said it yourself."

He rolled his eyes. "Keep dreaming."

But he secretly wished it was true.

****

Quentin was walking to his English class when he felt a drop of rain on his face. And then another.

He looked up at the dark clouds and held out his hand, feeling a cold shiver run through him as the rain hit his skin. Cursing to himself, he picked up his pace. His curls were plastered against his forehead as rain began to fall in harsh droplets. He adjusted his beanie to cover his hair and wrapped his arms around his cold body. The jacket he wore was thin, but enough to keep him from being completely soaked.

Quentin liked gloomy weather, but when you have to sit through a two-hour class soaking wet, it's not so pleasant.

The sound of boots scuffing the wet concrete behind him made him stop for a moment and a dark figure caught up to him with a painting held out in his arms. Quentin realized who it was- Frank.

"Frank?" The person in question paused for a moment and turned his head towards Quentin.

"Oh, it's you." He glanced down at his painting and cursed to himself, bringing it closer to him to protect it from the rain. "Fucking hell. It just had to rain today."

There was an outline of a girl in the painting. A bit of her face was already painted, her skin several shades of pale blue. Her eyes were blank and bandages covered her body. It reminded him of Frank's hands. He noticed that parts of her body were cut up, limbs severed and glass sticking out of her ghostly skin. It was a beautiful drawing.

Observing the painting for a few moments, Quentin thought of an idea. It was risky and an unusual thing for him to do, but he was willing to try it anyway.

"Wait."

He dropped his bag onto the wet ground and took off his jacket. Lifting it above his head, he grabbed Frank's arm and pulled him closer. It was a bold move and Quentin knew that he would probably regret it later.

"What the fuck dude?" Frank tried to pull his arm away. "What are you doing?"

"Um, helping you," he gestured towards the painting, "You don't want that to get ruined, do you?"

Frank narrowed his eyes. "Obviously not, but I don't exactly want to be cuddled up to some fucking stranger either."

_I certainly wouldn't mind it._

"The building isn't too far ahead. It'll only be for a few minutes." He felt oddly confident. "I-I don't want your painting to get ruined."

Frank dropped his shoulders. "What the fuck, _fine_ , but I don't see why it matters to you."

Frank was taller than Quentin, so he had to crouch slightly to get under the jacket that he was holding up. He moved closer to Quentin with reluctant steps, his broad shoulders hitting Quentin's.

Without a jacket wrapped around him, he should've been cold, but being this close to Frank made his body burn up. He didn't know if it was the warmth you get from being huddled close to someone, or because it was _Frank_.

What did he feel towards Frank? He didn't even know him.

Yes, Frank was intimidating; his scowl, his cold voice, his emotionless eyes. Everything about him screamed _don't talk to me._ But he was so attractive, and something about him was intriguing. Quentin wanted to know what it was.

Their fingers kept brushing as they held up the jacket together. Each accidental touch sent chills through Quentin. He kept telling himself that this was a bad idea, but his pounding heart was telling him otherwise.

Frank was tense beside him, jerking away at every slight touch, but he still kept close to Quentin. There was a relieved look on his face, betraying his tough attitude. The painting remained dry, something he was grateful for.

Quentin felt his heart drop when they reached the building. He wanted this to last longer, as awkward and uncomfortable as it was, but it had to end eventually. As soon as they walked through the door, Frank pushed the jacket off of him and moved away from Quentin.

"I- Thanks, I guess," Frank mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. "The painting stayed dry."

Quentin blinked once, then twice. He didn't expect Frank to say anything to him, let alone _thank_ him. Then he smiled. "No problem."

"But don't you fucking dare pull something like that again."

There it is.

"Sorry, I'll know for next time."

"There won't be a next time."

The two walked up familiar stairs in silence, and Quentin glanced at Frank one more time before he walked into his class, Frank doing the same.


End file.
